Cor pulmonale (Latin cor, heart + New Latin pulmōnāle, of the lungs) or pulmonary heart disease is a change in structure and function of the right ventricle of the heart as a result of a respiratory disorder. Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) is the predominant change in chronic cor pulmonale, whereas in acute cases, dilation dominates. Both hypertrophy and dilation are the result of increased right ventricular pressure.
Dilation is essentially...
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Cor pulmonale (Latin cor, heart + New Latin pulmōnāle, of the lungs) or pulmonary heart disease is a change in structure and function of the right ventricle of the heart as a result of a respiratory disorder. Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) is the predominant change in chronic cor pulmonale, whereas in acute cases, dilation dominates. Both hypertrophy and dilation are the result of increased right ventricular pressure.
Dilation is essentially a stretching of the ventricle, the immediate result of increasing the pressure in an elastic container. Ventricular hypertrophy is an adaptive response to a long-term increase in pressure. Individual muscle cells grow larger and undergo characteristic morphologic changes to allow for the increased contractile force required to move the blood against greater resistance.
To be classified as cor pulmonale, the cause must originate in the pulmonary circulation system. Two major causes are vascular changes as a result of tissue damage (e.g....
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